The words of a gutted David Luiz on Wednesday shortly after an ignominious display at the Etihad “It’s not the team’s fault, it was my fault“. Luiz was seen getting ready on the touchline when his compatriot, Pablo Mari was injured in the 24th minute. But he would never have dreamt or thought of having such a frustrating display before stepping on to the Etihad turf.
The fact that Arsenal collectively was not closer to the kind of quality the Cityzens brought to the game was ignored completely and Luiz was held responsible by the fans of the club for the loss. While Luiz would live to remember this unimpressive performance until whenever.
This goes to show that what some of the most revered football managers have tried to correct about Luiz is sadly hasn’t been corrected at least for now. And this complexity has made Luiz one of the most enigmatic players in the Premier League but his comments after the match showed how remorseful he was with the display.
Going down memory lane, one would discover that Arsenal has recorded huge success throughout their years in the English Premier League but much of that success has been tied to their steady flow of top-class defenders.
The club was founded in 1886 but didn’t parade the finest of talents until after many years of establishment. But through the evolution of the game and the few success the North Londoners recorded at that time, many of Arsenal‘s greatest players emerged. But how the narrative suddenly changed in the 2000s is a “mystery” to many pundits and it has become an aspect of worry for every fan of Arsenal.
When Kevin De Bruyne’s pass skimmed off Luiz’s thigh into Raheem Sterling’s path on Wednesday night, you could almost hear the collective groan from North London, expressing their disappointments in the Brazilian and also reminiscing on the amazing displays they’ve enjoyed from the likes of Martin Keown, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell et all.
Another truth that the Gunners faithful cannot shy from is that David Luiz on his day can be a hard defender to contend with and can also dictate the pace at which the game will be played right from the heart of the defense, his spells at PSG and Chelsea is an attestation to that.
But the rate at which he and his colleagues at Arsenal are prone to errors is alarming and must be attended to.
The Arsenal fans shouldn’t forget so quickly that there were times they’ve endured watching worst defenders than Luiz, yet heaven didn’t fall. For a fact, many other defenders cost Arsenal more than David Luiz has done since joining the club in less than a year now.
For example, A certain Mikael Silvestre who joined Arsenal from Manchester United had a calamitous stint with Arsenal. Almost from the day at the gates of the Emirates Stadium from Old Trafford, Mikael Silvestre was a disaster.
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Silvestre was a big liability in the Arsenal defense. His positional sense was abysmal, and every time he was forced to face threats from opponents, Arsenal fans would cringe at the thought of attackers exploiting the defender’s weaknesses. He was later released on a free transfer after numerous hideous displays.
Another defender that had a shoddy campaign at Arsenal was Sebastian Squillaci. The Frenchman was signed by Arsene Wenger in the summer of 2010. But all that people expected and wanted, and what ensued at the back can only be described as a defensive debacle.
So, using the Nigerian phrase, “nor be today” meaning it doesn’t start today, Arsenal’s defensive woes didn’t just start last Wednesday. It’s not that Arsenal fans should get used to the errors from the defenders, but there are ways to go about avoiding such errors from these defenders in subsequent matches.
Arsenal Defense Woes? What To Do
There’s certainly a way out of every problem, It’s not the fault of David Luiz that Arsenal are in this precarious situation they’ve found themselves.
The defense of a team becomes vulnerable when the midfield lacks coordination and stability, it then collapses and leaves the defenders at the mercy of the attackers from the opposition.
Arsenal collectively must try to avoid the kind of unfortunate statistic that emerged during the defeat by Pep Guardiola’s team, where Luiz became the first player to be sent off, concede a penalty, and commit an error leading to an opposition goal in a Premier League match.
The last player to do that was Carl Jenkinson while playing for West Ham against Bournemouth almost five years ago. That for sure won’t have helped the Brazilian’s mood but it might’ve come as a result of frustrations he was having during the match against City.
David Luiz
Because there’s a reason Luiz, at 33, has won 19 major club trophies and amassed 56 caps for Brazil. He therefore cannot suddenly become a useless defender in less than a year after leaving Chelsea. Something’s wrong with the Arsenal team as a whole.
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What Arteta must first do is that Luiz must be backed and be given every support he needs during this period. The first few matches of Arsenal under Arteta has shown that he fancies the Brazilian international and can work with him for years. Thereafter, Luiz’s transfer issue that has been dragged must first be put to rest.
When there’s a certainty that the Brazilian will stay beyond this season at the club, he then has his mind at rest and will also focus on other areas.
Having a solid defense also depends on the kind of pairings a manager is making. David Luiz technically seems as though the creme de la creme of Arsenal Defenders. Hence the need to figure out the perfect tactic and a partner that will suit his style because it will be illogical and detrimental to pair David Luiz with an inconsistent and unreliable Xkodran Mustafi.
Only the aged Sokratis and the new Pablo Mari who hasn’t really shown what stuff he’s made of stands a chance of forming this formidable partnership with Luiz – maybe by then, the much-needed flow of consistency and resilience will be brought back to the Arsenal defense.
In addition, no man would dare retire on a journey when he hasn’t reached his destination, Arsenal may just need to bring in another defender to complement the efforts of the ones on the ground, but in doing this, some tired legs must be released too.
And finally, someone or something needs to spur the entire Arsenal squad and make them competitive again. The team lacks confidence, fighting spirit, and consistency. Not necessarily a new manager but if the Arsenal hierarchy does not find Arteta capable, opting for a new manager won’t be a bad decision after all; but even at that, the players must be made to realize that there’s a spectacular reason for donning the Gunner’s shirt at every matchday.
